The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.

He was a husband, a father, a preacher - and the preeminent leader of a movement that continues to transform America and the world. Now, in a special program commissioned and authorized by his family, here is the life and times of Martin Luther King, Jr. Featuring King's I Have a Dream Speech.

Speeches by Martin Luther King Jr.: The Ultimate Collection

Listen "live" to one of the most iconic orators of all times in this packed-full collection of Martin Luther King Jr. speeches. King's rich and passionate style of delivery will transport you back to the era of the civil-rights movement, when King advocated non-violent resistance in the pursuit of equality and dignity not only for blacks but for all mankind. Seldom has any leader since inspired and captivated an audience worldwide and motivated a nation to action.

The Souls of Black Folk

“The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line,” writes Du Bois, in one of the most prophetic works in all of American literature. First published in 1903, this collection of 15 essays dared to describe the racism that prevailed at that time in America—and to demand an end to it. Du Bois’ writing draws on his early experiences, from teaching in the hills of Tennessee, to the death of his infant son, to his historic break with the conciliatory position of Booker T. Washington.

A Knock at Midnight: Original Recordings of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a leader and visionary of the civil rights movement, was first and foremost a preacher. This unique collection features a selection of Dr. King's best sermons - some not heard since he first delivered them!

This definitive box set includes all the landmark speeches of the great orator and American leader Martin Luther King, Jr., from his inspirational "I Have a Dream" to his firey "Give Us the Ballot." Comprised of recordings previously included in A Call to Conscience and A Knock at Midnight, The Essential Box Set is a must-have for any home, library, or school collection.

Letter to My Daughter

Dedicated to the daughter she never had but sees all around her, Letter to My Daughter reveals Maya Angelou's path to living well and living a life with meaning. Told in her own inimitable style, this book transcends genres and categories: guidebook, memoir, poetry, and pure delight. Here in short spellbinding essays are glimpses of the tumultuous life that led Angelou to an exalted place in American letters and taught her lessons in compassion and fortitude.

Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America

Fifty years ago Malcolm X told a white woman who asked what she could do for the cause, "Nothing." Dyson believes he was wrong. In Tears We Cannot Stop, he responds to that question. If we are to make real racial progress, we must face difficult truths, including being honest about how black grievance has been ignored, dismissed, or discounted.

Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story: King Legacy Series #1

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s account of the first successful large-scale application of nonviolent resistance in America is comprehensive, revelatory, and intimate. King described his book as "the chronicle of 50,000 Negroes who took to heart the principles of nonviolence, who learned to fight for their rights with the weapon of love, and who, in the process, acquired a new estimate of their own human worth."

The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus's Crucifixion

In The Day the Revolution Began, N. T. Wright once again challenges commonly held Christian beliefs, as he did in Surprised by Hope. Demonstrating the rigorous intellect and breathtaking knowledge that have long defined his work, Wright argues that Jesus' death on the cross was not only to absolve us of our sins, it was actually the beginning of a revolution commissioning the Christian faithful to a new vocation - a royal priesthood responsible for restoring and reconciling all of God's creation.

The Fire Next Time

At once a powerful evocation of his early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice to both the individual and the body politic, James Baldwin galvanized the nation in the early days of the civil rights movement with this eloquent manifesto. The Fire Next Time stands as one of the essential works of our literature.

An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth

A holy man to Hindus, a hero to Muslims, and a criminal to the British, Mohandas K. Gandhi was an inspiring figure of the 20th century, a man whose quest to live in accord with God’s highest truth led him to initiate massive campaigns against racism, violence, and colonialism.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

In the era of colorblindness, it is no longer socially permissible to use race, explicitly, as a justification for discrimination, exclusion, and social contempt. Yet, as legal star Michelle Alexander reveals, today it is perfectly legal to discriminate against convicted criminals in nearly all the ways that it was once legal to discriminate against African Americans.

Kingonomics is a 21st-century interpretation of Dr. King's economic vision translated through the eyes of Dr. Rodney Sampson, a globally established economic innovator, business developer, and highly successful serial entrepreneur. With 12 currencies (including service, innovation, and reciprocity), Sampson takes pertinent ideas from the life and works of Dr. King and, by combining them with real-life experiences, produces a guide through which one can realize their full potential and personal power.

Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention

Of the great figure in 20th-century American history perhaps none is more complex and controversial than Malcolm X. Constantly rewriting his own story, he became a criminal, a minister, a leader, and an icon, all before being felled by assassins' bullets at age 39. Through his tireless work and countless speeches he empowered hundreds of thousands of black Americans to create better lives and stronger communities while establishing the template for the self-actualized, independent African American man.

The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism

In The Half Has Never Been Told, historian Edward E. Baptist reveals the alarming extent to which slavery shaped our country politically, morally, and most of all, economically. Until the Civil War, our chief form of innovation was slavery. Through forced migration and torture, slave owners extracted continual increases in efficiency from their slaves, giving the country a virtual monopoly on the production of cotton, a key raw material of the Industrial Revolution.

The History of White People

A mind-expanding and myth-destroying exploration of notions of white race—not merely a skin color but also a signal of power, prestige, and beauty to be withheld and granted selectively. Ever since the Enlightenment, race theory and its inevitable partner, racism, have followed a crooked road, constructed by dominant peoples to justify their domination of others. Filling a huge gap in historical literature that long focused on the non-white, eminent historian Nell Irvin Painter guides us through more than two thousand years of Western civilization, tracing not only the invention of the idea of race but also the frequent worship of “whiteness” for economic, social, scientific, and political ends.

Audible Editor Reviews

Why we think it's Essential: The iconic moments of Dr. King's oratory echo in our aural consciousness; this collection offers a unique opportunity to move beyond those moments. Backed by eye-opening introductions from Dr. King's inner circle, these 12 speeches trace the growth of a man, a voice, and a movement. From the rarely heard "Birth of a New Nation" speech to King's final thrilling "I Have Been to the Mountaintop", I am reminded that spoken word can truly change the world. Ed Walloga

Publisher's Summary

His speeches stirred a generation to change - and outlined a practical way to economic freedom and true democracy. His words would help bring about the end of a brutally unequal system - and would show a timeless method for achieving fairness and justice for all.

These 12 moving speeches voiced by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are original recordings collected here for the first time ever. In addition, some of the world's most renowned leaders and theologians share with you their reflections on these speeches, and give priceless firsthand testimony on the events that inspired their delivery.

This audio takes you behind the scenes on an astonishing spoken historical journey - from a small, crowded church in Montgomery, AL, where "The Birth of a New Nation" ignited the modern civil rights movement; to the center of the nation's conscience; to the Mason Temple in Memphis, where more than 10,000 people heard Dr. King give his last transcendent speech, "I've Been to the Mountaintop", the night before his assassination.

This man had a godsent power in his voice. Now,i was really moved by some of his speeches. Where did he take it all from? Truly one of the most powerful and influential speakers ever heard in rgds to human rights activism.

Having been brought up hearing about Dr King and his life but never really reading anything of value about him, I decided to download and listen to this audio book.

I found it to be truly breath taking and inspiring. With introductions by prominent people who knew him well and then to hear his speeches in live format was spectacular. Some of the early recordings are somewhat difficult to listen to considering the quality of sound, but 9 out of 10 are of very good sound quality.

What an extraordinary man and what a fantastic message! Just as important today as it was during the civil rights movement. If you want to hear Dr Martin Luther Kings words from his own mouth combined with his fantastic oratory skills, this is a must have!

The introductions to the speeches set the stage to make it easier to understand why, when, and what happened. MLK's voice brings the words to life. Most of the speech recordings are surprisingly audible. One of the few audible books that I've gone all the way through twice.

Just make it so I can hear what the man is saying! Sadly, I have tried to listen to this on multiple occasions, and I just can't make out what is being said and abandon it quickly. If I had a transcript at least it would help.

Any additional comments?

PLEASE make full transcripts available. I so badly want to know what he said first hand. I fear that in our present time, he has been co-opted by those with a their own axe to grind, and not necessarily in a way he would agree with.

Trying to summarize or appraise MLK's speeches seems irreverent and a false sense of being an equal. Listening carefully to his deep faith, deep sense of justice for all, fears, and call to everyone being better than we imagine we can be reaches a deep spiritual plain. This recording is worth a frequent repeat.